Jun 16, 2017Rowena Hoseason rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2017
This wartime murder-mystery takes place on an old-fashioned, home counties, country estate – where centuries of tradition are being overturned by the conflict on the Continent. The unconventional heroine, Bunch Courtney, must outwit the outdated convictions of the stuffy establishment and the landed gentry, to confront a conspiracy of killers and uncover the truth…
Winter Downs delivers a traditional whodunit wrapped in historical nostalgia. Author Jan Edwards explores what life might have been like for the Land Girls who farmed the fields while the men fought overseas. The long-established routines and rituals of rural life are radically disrupted by rationing and air raids, billeted soldiers and brash young men. But it isn’t all rose-tinted retrospective: Winter Downs also shows the seedier side of the war – when spivs weren’t lovable rascals so much as cut-throat thieves.
The story itself presents plenty of unpredictable puzzles as Bunch challenges the expectations of her upper-class upbringing. In many ways she reminded me of a grown-up George from Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. Bunch can’t do much to help win the war, but she is determined to see that her old friend’s murder doesn’t go unpunished. When the police inspector dismisses her doubts as those of a silly girl, Bunch plunges into the investigation.
The whole book is imbued with the ambience of the area but it’s a chilly interpretation of the Sussex countryside, isolated in the grip of an icy winter and unsettled by uncertainty. Jan Edwards keeps the plot focused on the twists and turns – and she writes crisp, engaging prose which is easy to enjoy.
You can simply read Winter Downs as a ripping yarn, almost cosy crime, or look a little deeper into the social subtext of the story. It’s ideal for anyone who enjoys Agatha Christie’s mysteries or golden-age detective fiction. For me, it was a little bit strait-laced and good-natured – but I suspect that it’ll be immensely satisfying to anyone who enjoys Downton Abbey, Poldark and the like.
7/10
There’s a longer review (and many other reviews of crime-thrillers) over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net (less)
Jun 02, 2017Alison rated it it was amazing
As soon as I heard about this book I knew I was destined to read it! I am Sussex born and bred so could easily visualise the scenes and my mother was actually in the Land Army in the relevant time period so I feel I had an advantage. Whether that enhanced my enjoyment I’m not sure because it is such an endearing story so from the outset you instinctively go back to that era of the 1940’s.
Jan’s descriptive writing forms the basis for the tension and bleakness of war, the cold sometimes lonely downs and the austerity that was around, Winter Downs is the perfect title and I think you will agree the cover is simply stunning.
Two sisters, totally different in character but with a deep bond .. Bunch and Dodo find themselves in the middle of a mystery. After finding the body of a local man known to them Bunch is determined to prove that he wouldn’t/didn’t commit suicide and that something more sinister has taken place.
Due to lack of police or suitable funding because of the war, Chief Inspector Wright is adamant it is an open/shut case of suicide and the matter should be dropped.
So begins the search for a possible killer. Bunch and Dodo are already having to adapt to a completely alien way of life after the soldiers took over their house and they had to relocate to grandma, add in rationing, black-outs and the uncertainty of war. Dodo has already lost her husband in the fighting so Bunch is incredibly protective, this all results in the need for an answer. If it was murder then there could be further danger imminent.
I enjoyed finding out about these two women as their individuality emerges, Bunch is the feisty one of the two and I admire her determination to discover the truth. It kept me hooked as the puzzle deepens and I really couldn’t see how there was going to be a satisfactory ending.
The setting is beautifully described and for anyone who doesn’t have knowledge of Sussex it is a charming county steeped in history, yes I may be biased but it was so refreshing to read and absorb my local dialect which reminds me of my grandparents!
Anyone who likes historical fiction with a strong mix of characters will relish this story. Eerie, chilling and riveting I wholly recommend it. I’m already looking forward to more from Jan. I think this is a book that will stay with me long after finishing it and I’m likely to re-read and discover even more from it.
My thanks go to Jan for my copy of Winter Downs and for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. I read and reviewed voluntarily. (
A page-turning read from the start, this is a wonderful murder mystery set in a fascinating time. Bunch Courtney and her sister Dodo are engaging, interesting sleuths, as is Chief Inspector Wright, the enigmatic detective seconded from Scotland Yard for the duration. Jan Edwards’s characters are very real and you sense they’re full of hidden depths to be gradually revealed through the series. A satisfying mystery, puzzling and unpredictable with – like the times – an edgy sense of urgency and danger. The atmospheric setting is superb with the snow-bound Sussex Downs as central to the story as Morse’s Oxford. I love the way the author depicted a newly changed rural community with all its sense of loss and intrusion. The period detail is effortlessly done, absorbing the reader into Bunch’s world. A great treat.
May 15, 2017Kerry rated it it was amazing
If you enjoy historical fiction and/or a good murder mystery, then you will love Winter Downs. I haven’t read much historical fiction, as yet, but I do generally enjoy it when I do and I have thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Bunch is a feisty character! (She very much reminds me of Mary from Downton Abbey.) She has been used to a certain way of life which has been totally turned upside down since the start of the second world war. Having to give up her home to accommodate soldiers and having to move in to the Dower house with her Grandmother doesn’t thrill her, but she accepts it’s her duty to contribute to the war effort. She is very protective of her sister, Dodo, who lost her husband to war, having only been married for a few months. The sisters are like chalk and cheese, but devoted to each other.
As their small rural community in Sussex try to adjust to rationing, black outs and other such consequences of war, they also find themselves faced with a killer on the loose. When Bunch discovers the body of her friend, Jonathan, it looks like he has taken his own life, but Bunch knows him well and is convinced he has been murdered. It will be a struggle to prove it though without getting in the way of the official investigation, which already has it’s limits due to the ongoing war. As the investigation progresses, all sorts of secrets are revealed and they are faced with more tragedy. Will they discover the truth before the body count rises?
Brilliantly written with beautifully descriptive language. I was transported to rural Sussex and totally immersed in the story. I could almost feel the chill of the snowy countryside and I was as desperate as Bunch to prove her friend was murdered and to see his killer brought to justice. The conclusion is one I definitely didn’t see coming!
Oh, and I love the Sussex dialect used, although it took me a couple of re-reads to understand on occasion! 😉
Many thanks to Jan Edwards for my ARC of Winter Downs and for the opportunity to be a part of her blog tour.
https://chataboutbooks.wordpress.com/… (less)
Jun 11, 2017Jessica rated it it was amazing
Shelves: crime, mystery, historical
When Bunch Courtney’s childhood friend Jonathan Frampton is found shot dead in the woods the authorities and the powers that be, from her own father to the local Justice of the Peace, seem eager to declare his death a suicide.
But her passionate sense of injustice drives Bunch to investigate her old friend’s death. She is certain he could not have committed suicide, and clues at the scene drive her to confront the Chief Inspector, Wright, dispatched to wrap the case up – his rank a fact that in itself suggests something awry. His initial attitude to Bunch is that she is a bothersome amateur.
It is the winter of 1940 and the second world war is under way. Bunch and her sister Dodo’s childhood home, Perringham House, has been requisitioned for the war effort. Bunch is in command of a troop of Land Girls, and Dodo, whose husband recently died in action, is recovering at the home of her detested in-laws, Barty and Olivia Tinsley.
The story builds tension from the start and events are seen through Bunch’s eyes, though the reader is soon aware, thanks to some smart footwork by the author, that Bunch herself has a view limited by her upbringing which blinds her to certain facts. She is learning to be an amateur sleuth in the face of conventional sexism, and the increasing awareness that someone, somewhere has something to hide. She also has to overcome her own prejudices, which result from her upbringing.
This is a cosy crime mystery that nonetheless has an edge of darkness, just as Miss Marple found evil in unexpected locations in St Mary Mead. Some of the best passages are those that evoke the wintry Sussex landscape. There is plenty of period detail, but on the whole the novel wears its research lightly. It gives a flavour of the haunting atmosphere of the time, when many men had already been killed in battle, and there was an air of quiet desperation that the traditionally unemotional upper classes struggled to conceal.
It slowly becomes clear that Perringham has been requisitioned for more than regular troops. There are numerous and to Bunch mysterious foreign officers, from suave but dictatorial Colonel Kravitz to the charming Norwegian Lieutenant Seb Johannson, taking over her ancestral home while her parents decamp to Singapore and she is exiled to the Dower House with her formidable grandmother, a former suffragette.
Bunch quickly learns that the thin veneer of civility in the neighbourhood conceals a long list of possible suspects and a landscape and country changing under the pressure of war. As the body count starts to rise, Edwards tantalises the reader with various red-herrings. The motive for the first death is unclear: is it suicide or murder? And what about those that follow?
When the denouement comes, it is as unexpected as it is violent. The peace of the pastoral world where Bunch has grown up is shattered, just as the peace of distant cities is broken by nightly bombing raids. Although the War is far away, its impact is felt throughout rural society, with crime and opportunism amongst the gentry and the country folk.
I was kept guessing right to the end, and there was a satisfying conclusion which held out the promise of further adventures for the redoubtable Bunch, her delicate but resourceful sister Dodo, and the slightly-mysterious Chief Inspector Wright. (less)
May 14, 2017Pamela Scott rated it really liked it
Shelves: jan-edwards, arc, review-copy
REVIEW TO FOLLOW ON THE 5TH JUNE WHEN I TAKE PART IN THE BLOG TOUR
Jun 04, 2017Amanda – Mrs B’s Book Reviews added it
Shelves: first-reads, 2017-books, blog-tour
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Jan Edwards brings us a brand new cosy crime mystery series set in the 1940’s, based in the heart of the county of Sussex in the UK. Winter Downs marks the opening novel in this exciting series, featuring the enigmatic heroine, Rose ‘Bunch’ Courtney.
Winter Downs opens with a dramatic event occurring in the small Sussex community in which the novel is set. Gunshots are heard coming from deep in the snowy landscape of Sussex Downs. When Bunch Courtney tries to investigate the source of gunshots, she comes across a dead body of a local, Jonathan Frampton. Initially, Jonathan’s death is deemed a suicide, but further investigations reveal something more sinister at work. Bunch and the whole community of Sussex Downs are already on high alert due to the threat of war across the Channel, but their fears are increased when another dead body is found. With the chief investigator failing to take these deaths seriously, Bunch decides to take matters into her own hands and launch an investigation of her own.
Winter Downs was my introduction to the work of British author Jan Edwards. Winter Downs was an entertaining read. I enjoyed this fictional sleuth story very much, as it enabled me to play detective. Edwards certainly provides us with plenty of red herrings, potential suspects and possible scenarios to work through. Winter Downs is a novel surrounded by an air of suspicion and tension, due to the murder mystery elements and the threat of war so close.
As Winter Downs is a historically based novel, it is worth paying homage to the setting. Time and place are both depicted well by Edwards. She has obviously undertaken a great deal of research to ensure she gets the details right in this novel. I believe this novel provides an accurate picture of life in the 1940’s. I loved the insight into what life was like on the home front on the day to day level, as residents such as those from Sussex Downs grapple with the onset of rationing. A bulk of the storyline and a number of the secondary characters featured in Winter Downs are land girls. I appreciated the opportunity to learn a little more about this experience, it was enlightening.
The standout feature of Winter Downs and the most overwhelming reason why I selected to take part in the blog tour for this book was the setting. Although I have lived in Australia for many years, I spent my formative years in the UK, based in exactly the same region where the majority of Winter Downs is set. For me, the chance to reconnect with areas I am so familiar with, such as Eastbourne, Brighton, East Grinstead and Horsham, was fantastic. Jan Edwards manages to convey a strong sense of place through her writing and I thank her for taking me back to the past.
With a catchy and punchy female lead like Bunch, the first novel in Jan Edwards new series kicks off to a promising start. Winter Downs is a book that I would recommend to those who enjoy British crime and mystery novels, almost reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Winter Downs would make the perfect winter reading companion, it is a good one to curl up with and read next to a cosy fire.
(I wish to thank the author, Jan Edwards for providing me with a complimentary uncorrected proof copy of Winter Downs for review purposes). (less)
Jun 08, 2017Dee-Cee It’s all about the books rated it really liked it
Set in the 1940’s Winter Downs introduces us to Bunch and Dodo, sisters who while out riding come across a body. Everyone is convinced it’s suicide but Bunch has other ideas and hopes to prove them wrong.
Jan Edwards has created a wonderful character in Bunch, she’s a well brought up lady but is feisty and determined. Things have become unsettled as the start of world war 2 commences and Bunch finds herself having to move out of her family home while the soldiers move in and take over. Her younger sister Dodo has recently become a widow and Bunch very much wants to protect her. Dodo is very different to Bunch, she’s quieter and obviously still grieving for her husband. Both are really likeable characters and it’ll be nice to see how they progress in the series.
Jan Edwards descriptiveness throughout the story really makes it come alive and I could feel the cold winter chills as I was reading, the snow covered countryside was easy to picture in my mind along with the bleakness of war with blackouts and rationing.
The story is very well written, it’s an old fashioned mystery that really gets your mind thinking and I loved playing detective along with Bunch, although she is so much better than me as I was wrong on many occasions and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to put all the puzzle pieces into place. It’s a mystery that really gets under your skin and I found myself really captivated by it.
I really enjoyed Winter Downs and recommend you give it a read, especially if you like murder mystery mixed with historical fiction. I’m really looking forward to reading more in this series (less)
Mar 19, 2019Alyson Read rated it it was amazing
This is the first Bunch Courtney story and Jan Edwards transports us back to a completely different era from today where the slower pace of life in both the Sussex countryside and the 1940s are reflected in the style of writing. Rose (Bunch) Courtney and her widowed sister Daphne (Dodo) Tinsley are landed gentry, having a lifestyle that includes maids, cooks and all manner of staff. Their father is a diplomat posted with their mother to Singapore, leaving Bunch to manage the estate and also organise the local Women’s Land Army. Britain is at war, rationing is starting to take place and there is much scope for black marketers. Not to mention the fact that their stately home has been lent out to foreign army personnel leaving Bunch to move in with her grandmother. Amid the dense winter snowfalls Bunch and Dodo make the gruesome discovery of the corpse of an old friend Jonathan Frampton in the woods. After the initial shock, it is not surprising that Bunch wants to get stuck into investigating the death of her close friend and former lover, particularly when all the authorities insist that it is suicide and not anything more sinister. Bunch herself is convinced that it is murder and eventually Detective Chief Inspector William Wright allows her until the snow melts to make her own enquiries. No one could have guessed how dangerous that would prove to be. That is, until a second murder occurs.
Bunch is very much a girl after my own heart. She is tall, brunette, horsey and very practical (in fact, the complete opposite of her sister who is in mourning after losing her husband of a few short months to the war). Obviously the war and its effect on everyone and everything features very heavily in the book, and it is abundantly clear how much painstaking research the author has done into all aspects of the story and time period. There are lots of secrets to be unravelled, clues to find and suspects to rule out, and red herrings litter Bunch’s investigation, even with some (at first) reluctant help from the DCI . All the characters were well described and rounded, and the whole setting was very credible and came alive in the pages. It was good to get a feel of what life was like at the time for the various different classes of folk involved in the story. Altogether it was a most enjoyable murder mystery, gentle but still with its fair share of blood and nasty criminals. Recommended and I am glad to hear book two is on its way! (less)
Jun 06, 2017Nicola Smith rated it liked it
I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover which is so attractive and very 1940s. The story is a really interesting premise as we follow Rose Courtney, known as Bunch, as she becomes an amateur sleuth when her friend, Jonathan, is found shot dead in the woods. It appears to be suicide but Bunch is not convinced and she’s determined to prove that it’s really murder.
Bunch is a strong female character and as a member of the aristocracy she’s a little unusual for her time, age and position in that she is unmarried and doesn’t particularly mind about it. I thought she was an excellent character and very well portrayed. I liked her relationship with her sister, Daphne, known as Dodo, and I particularly enjoyed their grandmother who is a really feisty lady.
It’s quite an atmospheric story and gives a nice snapshot of the times. Bunch’s home has been taken over for war reasons, rationing is a big part of the story, everywhere is in turmoil and there’s snow on the ground thwarting the investigation. All this is described well by the author and I found it easy to imagine the various settings.
Despite all this I must admit that I found this book quite hard to get into for some reason. It is a very good example of a period murder mystery and I can imagine it will appeal to those readers who like a good old-fashioned whodunnit. There is no fault with the book, I just think it turned out to be not quite my thing. Maybe I’ve just got so used to a different kind of thriller that this cosy crime type story just didn’t grab me in the same way. Nevertheless, I think the author has done a great job with what I believe is the first in a series featuring Bunch Courtney.
(less)
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Jun 26, 2017Bookmuseuk added it
Rose Courtney, nicknamed Bunch, is in charge of the Courtney estate while her parents are away. It is 1940 and the Ministry of Defence has commandeered Perringham House so Rose has to move into the Dower House with her grandmother. Her recently widowed sister Dodo is staying with her in-laws but is not happy there and would prefer to be with Rose.
When Rose comes across the body of her friend and former lover, Jonathan Frampton, in an attitude suggesting suicide, she does not believe he has taken his own life. To do so would be against all he believed. The Coroner and the police think otherwise, however.
Rose is determined to prove Jonathan was murdered and when further bodies turn up it seems she has been vindicated. Chief Inspector Wright now agrees with her, though his investigations are hampered by the army activity at Perringham House. Meanwhile, sheep are being rustled and there is a suspicion of black market activity in the community.
Set against a wartime background, which is well-conveyed, this novel is written in the style of early 20th century writers such as Josephine Tey, Dorothy L. Sayers et al. Though a little slow at the start, the characterisation is especially good and the descriptions are vivid and apt.
Rose (Bunch) is a strong and determined character and there is a suggestion of a relationship brewing with the policeman. There are shocks and discoveries for everyone and though occasionally a little loose, the plot moves forward once the book gets going.
The text is marred by a number of typographical errors, missing or extraneous words and the occasional grammatical error. I read an Advance Readers’ Copy, however, and presumably these things will have been dealt with before publication. (less)
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Apr 02, 2018Cecilia Peartree rated it really liked it
I enjoyed this book a lot. I thought the wartime background was particularly well done – not just the descriptive aspects but people’s attitudes – and the mystery was interesting enough to keep me reading quite fast. The snowy background did make me feel quite cold though! I think my only quibble with it, and this is a personal thing, was that I didn’t warm to the main character, but I know this was partly because of her snobbishness (which was probably true to life at that time). I did admire her persistence though. (less)
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Apr 23, 2018Reyiel Ananke rated it really liked it
Shelves: fiction, first-reads, give-aways, historical-fiction
I won this book through Goodreads Give away.
Very short book, perfect for a nice afternoon or quiet week end.
it describes perfectly how a small mentality can be affected under duress (a war, food restrictions, black outs and heavy military presence), how a small thing can turn a massive avalanche and each person has a small piece of the puzzle.
Even if I didn´t get attached to the protagonist (we have very different personalities) i really loved how her thoughts, her day to day and struggles were described, very realistic and down to hearth.
The plot seems simple at the beginning, murder to resolve, but with so many characters it was a bit hardby the end to remember who said what, who was who and did what.
all in all, very nice little book, with a nicely tied up plot and storyline. (less)
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May 15, 2017Kerry rated it it was amazing
If you enjoy historical fiction and/or a good murder mystery, then you will love Winter Downs. I haven’t read much historical fiction, as yet, but I do generally enjoy it when I do and I have thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Bunch is a feisty character! (She very much reminds me of Mary from Downton Abbey.) She has been used to a certain way of life which has been totally turned upside down since the start of the second world war. Having to give up her home to accommodate soldiers and having to move in to the Dower house with her Grandmother doesn’t thrill her, but she accepts it’s her duty to contribute to the war effort. She is very protective of her sister, Dodo, who lost her husband to war, having only been married for a few months. The sisters are like chalk and cheese, but devoted to each other.
As their small rural community in Sussex try to adjust to rationing, black outs and other such consequences of war, they also find themselves faced with a killer on the loose. When Bunch discovers the body of her friend, Jonathan, it looks like he has taken his own life, but Bunch knows him well and is convinced he has been murdered. It will be a struggle to prove it though without getting in the way of the official investigation, which already has it’s limits due to the ongoing war. As the investigation progresses, all sorts of secrets are revealed and they are faced with more tragedy. Will they discover the truth before the body count rises?
Brilliantly written with beautifully descriptive language. I was transported to rural Sussex and totally immersed in the story. I could almost feel the chill of the snowy countryside and I was as desperate as Bunch to prove her friend was murdered and to see his killer brought to justice. The conclusion is one I definitely didn’t see coming!
Oh, and I love the Sussex dialect used, although it took me a couple of re-reads to understand on occasion! 😉
Many thanks to Jan Edwards for my ARC of Winter Downs and for the opportunity to be a part of her blog tour.
https://chataboutbooks.wordpress.com/… (less)
***
AMAZON
4 June 2017
As soon as I heard about this book I knew I was destined to read it! I am Sussex born and bred so could easily visualise the scenes and my mother was actually in the Land Army in the relevant time period so I feel I had an advantage. Whether that enhanced my enjoyment I’m not sure because it is such an endearing story so from the outset you instinctively go back to that era of the 1940’s.
Jan’s descriptive writing forms the basis for the tension and bleakness of war, the cold sometimes lonely downs and the austerity that was around, Winter Downs is the perfect title and I think you will agree the cover is simply stunning.
Two sisters, totally different in character but with a deep bond .. Bunch and Dodo find themselves in the middle of a mystery. After finding the body of a local man known to them Bunch is determined to prove that he wouldn’t/didn’t commit suicide and that something more sinister has taken place.
Due to lack of police or suitable funding because of the war, Chief Inspector Wright is adamant it is an open/shut case of suicide and the matter should be dropped.
So begins the search for a possible killer. Bunch and Dodo are already having to adapt to a completely alien way of life after the soldiers took over their house and they had to relocate to grandma, add in rationing, black-outs and the uncertainty of war. Dodo has already lost her husband in the fighting so Bunch is incredibly protective, this all results in the need for an answer. If it was murder then there could be further danger imminent.
I enjoyed finding out about these two women as their individuality emerges, Bunch is the feisty one of the two and I admire her determination to discover the truth. It kept me hooked as the puzzle deepens and I really couldn’t see how there was going to be a satisfactory ending.
The setting is beautifully described and for anyone who doesn’t have knowledge of Sussex it is a charming county steeped in history, yes I may be biased but it was so refreshing to read and absorb my local dialect which reminds me of my grandparents!
Anyone who likes historical fiction with a strong mix of characters will relish this story. Eerie, chilling and riveting I wholly recommend it. I’m already looking forward to more from Jan. I think this is a book that will stay with me long after finishing it and I’m likely to re-read and discover even more from it.
My thanks go to Jan for my copy of Winter Downs and for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. I read and reviewed voluntarily.
5 June 2017
I was given an ARC by the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I really enjoyed Winter Downs. This book has a charming feel of an old fashioned mystery novel in the vein of Miss Marple or something similar. I thought the characters were great, well written, made of flesh and blood. I loved Bunch; the name suits her better than her real name, Rose. She’s a great heroine, feisty, determined to prove her friend and sometime lover did not kill himself and refusing to back down even though everyone else thinks she’s barking up the wrong tree. I loved her. I really liked the plot as well, how all the little seemingly unconnected threads (Frampton’s death, the murder of a Land Girl and her soldier lover) are gradually, bit by bit revealed to be linked. I kept second guessing what was going on and I’m glad to say I was barking up the wrong tree. I liked the way Winter Downs ended. I really enjoyed the book, would like to read the entire series and recommend the book.
16 June 2017
This wartime murder-mystery takes place on an old-fashioned, home counties, country estate – where centuries of tradition are being overturned by the conflict on the Continent. The unconventional heroine, Bunch Courtney, must outwit the outdated convictions of the stuffy establishment and the landed gentry, to confront a conspiracy of killers and uncover the truth…
Winter Downs delivers a traditional whodunit wrapped in historical nostalgia. Author Jan Edwards explores what life might have been like for the Land Girls who farmed the fields while the men fought overseas. The long-established routines and rituals of rural life are radically disrupted by rationing and air raids, billeted soldiers and brash young men. But it isn’t all rose-tinted retrospective: Winter Downs also shows the seedier side of the war – when spivs weren’t lovable rascals so much as cut-throat thieves.
The story itself presents plenty of unpredictable puzzles as Bunch challenges the expectations of her upper-class upbringing. In many ways she reminded me of a grown-up George from Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. Bunch can’t do much to help win the war, but she is determined to see that her old friend’s murder doesn’t go unpunished. When the police inspector dismisses her doubts as those of a silly girl, Bunch plunges into the investigation.
The whole book is imbued with the ambience of the area but it’s a chilly interpretation of the Sussex countryside, isolated in the grip of an icy winter and unsettled by uncertainty. Jan Edwards keeps the plot focused on the twists and turns – and she writes crisp, engaging prose which is easy to enjoy.
You can simply read Winter Downs as a ripping yarn, almost cosy crime, or look a little deeper into the social subtext of the story. It’s ideal for anyone who enjoys Agatha Christie’s mysteries or golden-age detective fiction. For me, it was a little bit strait-laced and good-natured – but I suspect that it’ll be immensely satisfying to anyone who enjoys Downton Abbey, Poldark and the like.
7/10
There’s a longer review (and many other reviews of crime-thrillers) over at murdermayhemandmore.net
8 June 2017
Set in the 1940’s Winter Downs introduces us to Bunch and Dodo, sisters who while out riding come across a body. Everyone is convinced it’s suicide but Bunch has other ideas and hopes to prove them wrong.
Jan Edwards has created a wonderful character in Bunch, she’s a well brought up lady but is feisty and determined. Things have become unsettled as the start of world war 2 commences and Bunch finds herself having to move out of her family home while the soldiers move in and take over. Her younger sister Dodo has recently become a widow and Bunch very much wants to protect her. Dodo is very different to Bunch, she’s quieter and obviously still grieving for her husband. Both are really likeable characters and it’ll be nice to see how they progress in the series.
Jan Edwards descriptiveness throughout the story really makes it come alive and I could feel the cold winter chills as I was reading, the snow covered countryside was easy to picture in my mind along with the bleakness of war with blackouts and rationing.
The story is very well written, it’s an old fashioned mystery that really gets your mind thinking and I loved playing detective along with Bunch, although she is so much better than me as I was wrong on many occasions and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to put all the puzzle pieces into place. It’s a mystery that really gets under your skin and I found myself really captivated by it.
I really enjoyed Winter Downs and recommend you give it a read, especially if you like murder mystery mixed with historical fiction. I’m really looking forward to reading more in this series
6 June 2017
Bunch is a feisty character! (She very much reminds me of Mary from Downton Abbey.) She has been used to a certain way of life which has been totally turned upside down since the start of the second world war. Having to give up her home to accommodate soldiers and having to move in to the Dower house with her Grandmother doesn’t thrill her, but she accepts it’s her duty to contribute to the war effort. She is very protective of her sister, Dodo, who lost her husband to war, having only been married for a few months. The sisters are like chalk and cheese, but devoted to each other.
As their small rural community in Sussex try to adjust to rationing, black outs and other such consequences of war, they also find themselves faced with a killer on the loose. When Bunch discovers the body of her friend, Jonathan, it looks like he has taken his own life, but Bunch knows him well and is convinced he has been murdered. It will be a struggle to prove it though without getting in the way of the official investigation, which already has it’s limits due to the ongoing war. As the investigation progresses, all sorts of secrets are revealed and they are faced with more tragedy. Will they discover the truth before the body count rises?
Brilliantly written with beautifully descriptive language. I was transported to rural Sussex and totally immersed in the story. I could almost feel the chill of the snowy countryside and I was as desperate as Bunch to prove her friend was murdered and to see his killer brought to justice. The conclusion is one I definitely didn’t see coming!
Oh, and I love the Sussex dialect used, although it took me a couple of re-reads to understand on occasion! 😉
6 June 2017
I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover which is so attractive and very 1940s. The story is a really interesting premise as we follow Rose Courtney, known as Bunch, as she becomes an amateur sleuth when her friend, Jonathan, is found shot dead in the woods. It appears to be suicide but Bunch is not convinced and she’s determined to prove that it’s really murder.
Bunch is a strong female character and as a member of the aristocracy she’s a little unusual for her time, age and position in that she is unmarried and doesn’t particularly mind about it. I thought she was an excellent character and very well portrayed. I liked her relationship with her sister, Daphne, known as Dodo, and I particularly enjoyed their grandmother who is a really feisty lady.
It’s quite an atmospheric story and gives a nice snapshot of the times. Bunch’s home has been taken over for war reasons, rationing is a big part of the story, everywhere is in turmoil and there’s snow on the ground thwarting the investigation. All this is described well by the author and I found it easy to imagine the various settings.
Despite all this I must admit that I found this book quite hard to get into for some reason. It is a very good example of a period murder mystery and I can imagine it will appeal to those readers who like a good old-fashioned whodunnit. There is no fault with the book, I just think it turned out to be not quite my thing. Maybe I’ve just got so used to a different kind of thriller that this cosy crime type story just didn’t grab me in the same way. Nevertheless, I think the author has done a great job with what I believe is the first in a series featuring Bunch Courtney.
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2017
Jan Edwards 